March 14, 2007 — An affordable housing development on St. John's southeast coast can proceed now that the island's Coastal Zone Management Committee has accepted modifications to its building plans.
The decision was rendered during a Tuesday hearing at the Legislative Conference Room in Cruz Bay.
An attorney for developer Bob Jackson and his company, Reliance Housing, says work on the 48 rental units and 24 townhouses at Calabash Boom is set to proceed, although the delay caused by the wait to review the cease and desist order cost the developer money.
"These delays are eating up some very slim margins regarding the funds that are available to build the quality housing, to make it available within income ranges that are projected and to make sure that it can be constructed within the time frame in which all of these federally assisted projects have to be completed," said attorney Treston Moore, after the hearing's conclusion.
Construction at Calabash Boom was halted in January on complaints from residents in Coral Bay that developers had not secured all the necessary permits. The cease and desist order was targeted at construction of a reverse osmosis pipe that, according to the original plans, would discharge its outflow into the bay.
Manny Ramos, acting CZM director for the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said developers solved the problem by eliminating the revere osmosis plant.
"Basically, eliminating the intake and discharge lines would substantially reduce the adverse impact on the coastal waters," Ramos said. He pointed out that the St. John CZM board approved the modification in the plans back on Feb 22.
"The hearing was to remove the cease and desist order on Reliance… due to the applicants' compliance with the permit," he said.
When reached for comment after the hearing, Jackson referred reporters to Moore.
Reliance has helped build three other affordable housing communities in the St. Thomas-St. John District since the late 1990s, including Lovelund I and II, overlooking Magens Bay on St. Thomas and the Bellevue Housing Community on Route 104 on St. John.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
